Today's letters: Gun legislation

Published: Sunday, April 28, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, April 26, 2013 at 6:04 p.m.

To the editor: Apparently, I just donít understand.

The Senate rejected expansion of background checks for the sale of firearms at gun shows and through online sales by a vote of 54 to 46, the 46 being the number of ďnoĒ votes. Is 46 suddenly a larger number than 54? (And, yes, I know what cloture is.)

Why can we hold someone who has nuclear technology responsible if he sells it (or gives it) to someone who later uses it, but we canít do the same to someone who sells (or gives) a gun to someone else who not only uses it, but shouldnít have had it in the first place?

Is the only thing that stops a bad guy with a bomb a good guy with a bomb?

Do the words ďwell regulatedĒ that are in the Second Amendment mean something, or are they just illogical government-speak?

Why are someoneís rights under the Second Amendment more important than my rights under the First, Fourth and Ninth amendments? Do I have to buy a gun to be entitled to all my other rights?

I guess Iím just confused.

Gary Gilchrist

Mills River

Working together

To the editor: April is Parkinsonís Awareness Month. Every nine minutes, someone is diagnosed with Parkinsonís disease. Chances are great that someone you know, or will know, has Parkinsonís disease. Close to 1.5 million people have this disorder in the United States alone.

Letís work together toward finding a cure. The Parkinsonís Unity Walk in New Yorkís Central Park is the largest grass-roots fundraiser for Parkinsonís disease research in the country and will bring thousands of people with Parkinsonís, their families and friends, to walk together to raise funds for research on April 27, and 100 percent of donations go to research. Donations are tax deductible. In 2012, close to 10,000 people raised more than $1.5 million for research. For more information, see www.unitywalk.org.

The Brevard-Hendersonville Parkinsonís Support Group meets at Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church monthly. For more information, call 828-862-8820.

Jane Orwoll

Hendersonville

Growth stages

To the editor: I have never seen so much fear about what the government is or is not going to do to its own people. If you look at history, you realize that all powerful countries go through growth stages, kind of like kids:

Birth: We need to be free and independent from our parent country. They are the enemy. (1776.)

Childhood: Everyone wants to destroy us because of what we have! Other countries are the enemy. (1812-1950.)

Adolescence: Our own government wants to destroy us! We are the enemy! (1950-Barack Obama.)

Adulthood: We are a true superpower; we can handle those who want to destroy us. Death to our enemies! (TBD.)

Old Age: No one will ever destroy us! We have no enemy! (TBD.)

Death: Oh. We were destroyed. We did have enemies. (A few hundred years from now.)

This process takes hundreds of years. Right now, we are in the teenager phase of our growth: awkward, unable to make a rational decision.

Things will be fine. The Republic will still be standing in the morning.

<p>To the editor: Apparently, I just don’t understand.</p><p>The Senate rejected expansion of background checks for the sale of firearms at gun shows and through online sales by a vote of 54 to 46, the 46 being the number of no votes. Is 46 suddenly a larger number than 54? (And, yes, I know what cloture is.)</p><p>Why can we hold someone who has nuclear technology responsible if he sells it (or gives it) to someone who later uses it, but we can’t do the same to someone who sells (or gives) a gun to someone else who not only uses it, but shouldn’t have had it in the first place?</p><p>Is the only thing that stops a bad guy with a bomb a good guy with a bomb?</p><p>Do the words well regulated that are in the Second Amendment mean something, or are they just illogical government-speak?</p><p>Why are someone’s rights under the Second Amendment more important than my rights under the First, Fourth and Ninth amendments? Do I have to buy a gun to be entitled to all my other rights?</p><p>I guess I’m just confused.</p><p><em>Gary Gilchrist</em></p><p><em>Mills River</em></p><h3>Working together</h3>
<p>To the editor: April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month. Every nine minutes, someone is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Chances are great that someone you know, or will know, has Parkinson’s disease. Close to 1.5 million people have this disorder in the United States alone.</p><p>Let’s work together toward finding a cure. The Parkinson’s Unity Walk in New York’s Central Park is the largest grass-roots fundraiser for Parkinson’s disease research in the country and will bring thousands of people with Parkinson’s, their families and friends, to walk together to raise funds for research on April 27, and 100 percent of donations go to research. Donations are tax deductible. In 2012, close to 10,000 people raised more than $1.5 million for research. For more information, see www.unitywalk.org.</p><p>The Brevard-Hendersonville Parkinson’s Support Group meets at Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church monthly. For more information, call 828-862-8820.</p><p><em>Jane Orwoll</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p><h3>Growth stages</h3>
<p>To the editor: I have never seen so much fear about what the government is or is not going to do to its own people. If you look at history, you realize that all powerful countries go through growth stages, kind of like kids:</p><p>Birth: We need to be free and independent from our parent country. They are the enemy. (1776.)</p><p>Childhood: Everyone wants to destroy us because of what we have! Other countries are the enemy. (1812-1950.)</p><p>Adolescence: Our own government wants to destroy us! We are the enemy! (1950-Barack Obama.)</p><p>Adulthood: We are a true superpower; we can handle those who want to destroy us. Death to our enemies! (TBD.)</p><p>Old Age: No one will ever destroy us! We have no enemy! (TBD.)</p><p>Death: Oh. We were destroyed. We did have enemies. (A few hundred years from now.)</p><p>This process takes hundreds of years. Right now, we are in the teenager phase of our growth: awkward, unable to make a rational decision.</p><p>Things will be fine. The Republic will still be standing in the morning.</p><p><em>Chris Petrella</em></p><p><em>Fletcher</em></p>